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1. 'Muscat reforms: customs; finances and negotiations with Omanis'
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence covers debts of the Sultan of Muscat, reforms to increase revenues, and negotiations with Omani rebels. Topics include:Budget for 1919;Currency and customs;The desire of the Sultan [Taymūr bin Fayṣal] to abdicate;Terms of negotiations with tribes from the interior of Oman;Prohibition of coffee and the sale of liquor;Appointment of a wazir for the Sultan.Physical description: Foliation: There are two foliation sequences. The most complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and runs through to 248, ending on the last folio of writing.
2. 'File 35/87 IV (A 30) Muscat reforms'
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence relating to the reform of the government of the Muscat.Topics include: finances of Muscat; the lease or purchase of Gwadur [Gwadar] from the Sultan of Muscat; judicial reforms; Captain MacCollum, the wazir; the question of the abdication of Sayyid Taimur and arrangements made for length of annual stay in India and Muscat; the education of Sayyid Said bin Taimur and his recognition as heir; the decay of Muscat and growth of Muttrah; the enhancement of zakat; the repayment of a loan of six and a half lakhs.Correspondents include Ronald Evelyn Leslie Wingate, Political Agent and H.B.M's Consul, Muscat; Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Prescott Trevor, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department; Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-242; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Foliation anomalies: 1, 1A, 1B and 1C. Fold out folios: 112 and 140.
3. 'File 35/87 VI A. 38 Muscat reforms, customs, finances'
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence relating to the reform of customs and finance at Muscat. Includes the contract of the Financial Adviser, Bertram Thomas and the financial statements he prepared for the state of Muscat.Correspondents include Colonel Francis Beville Prideaux, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Bertram Thomas, Finance Minister, State of Muscat; Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat; Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent, Muscat; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf.Physical description: There is one incomplete foliation sequence and one complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and runs through to 217, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume. Anomalies: f 22A; f 26A.
4. 'Syria and Mesopotamia: Anglo-French declaration of 8 November 1918'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file consists of a copy of the 'Syria and Mesopotamia: Anglo-French declaration of 8 November 1918'. It is written in French and expresses the wishes of Britain and France to liberate those they feel have been 'too long oppressed by the Turks' by helping them to install functional governments and 'indigenous administrations', and by contributing to their economic development.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 104, and terminates at f 104, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
5. 'File 9/1 Institution of Reforms & Sunni opposition intrigues'
- Description:
- Abstract: The first part of the volume (folios 2 to 146) covers the period 1922 to 1927, and concerns proposals for reforms in the Sheikhdom of Bahrain, and their subsequent implementation and impact on the kingdom. This part of the volume contains letters exchanged between the Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Clive Daly until September 1926, thereafter Major Cyril Barrett) and the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor or the Acting Resident Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart Knox until April 1924, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), and the Political Resident and the Foreign Secretary of the Government of India. British officials discussed proposals for economic and political reforms in Bahrain, with particular attention paid to tax changes intended to redress the imbalance between what Bahrain's Sunnis and Shias were obliged to pay. Also discussed were the financial reorganisation of the customs house and regulation of the pearl diving industry, reform of the Bahrain judicial system, land registration and revenues, and the institution of a Levy Corps force. British officials also discussed the relationships between themselves and between members of the al Khalifa ruling family, in particular Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa and his son Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The abdication or removal of Isa, and the installation of Hamad, are discussed at length.The last part of the volume (folio 147 onwards) spans the period 1929-1930, and is chiefly comprised of correspondence between the Bahrain Agent (Colonel Geoffrey Prior), Political Resident (Barrett to November 1929, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Biscoe) and officials from the Government of India. This part of the volume concerns fears on the part of the Government of India that Britain is too heavily involved in Bahrain, and asks questions of whether the number of British officials in Bahrain can be reduced. Included are two lengthy reports by Prior and Barrett in June and August 1929 respectively (folios 147-162, 165-185) outlining Britain's historic intervention in Bahrain, and stressing the importance of its continued presence.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence begins on the front cover and finishes on the back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-118; these numbers are written in blue crayon, circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F; 137A and 137B.The following folios are fold-outs: 17-18, 51-52, 64-65, 86, 106-107, 221 and 227.The volume is tightly bound to the extent that the text on some items disappears into the gutter, making it difficult to read.
6. 'File 9/2 II Bahrain Reforms: Finances of the Bahrain Government'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume’s correspondence and other papers concern Bahrain’s state budget, and the rising costs associated with the Bahrain civil list and the Āl Khalīfah family’s allowances. Most of the correspondence takes place between the Advisor to the Bahrain Government, Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave, and the Bahrain Political Agent, Colonel Geoffrey Prior. The volume is a chronological continuation of ‘File 9/2 II Bahrain Reforms: Finances of the Bahrain Government’ (IOR/R/15/2/128).The volume includes Belgrave’s budgets for Bahrain for the Hijri years 1347 (1928, folios 5-25) and 1348 (1929, folios 38-66). In these reports Belgrave gives great detail of the state’s expenditure on modernisation. For example, detailed reference of Bahrain’s education system, including the opening of a girls’ school, is given in the 1348 budget (folios 61-63).The remainder of the volume’s correspondence is chiefly related to Belgrave’s concerns over the continual financial increases being requested by Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah to Bahrain’s civil list. Belgrave’s concern was that these allowances took up too great a proportion of the Bahrain state budget, and because the issue was primarily a political one, he deferred the issue to the Political Agent, who in turn referred the matter to the Political Resident. There are several copies of the civil list included in the file (for example, folios 81-83). Prior and Shaikh Ḥamad discuss Belgrave’s concerns about the increasing expenditure of the civil list in August 1929 (folios 84-90), with Shaikh Ḥamad raising the hope that revenues from other sources such as kerosene oil might alleviate financial problems.Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. There is an earlier foliation system which runs through the volume, using blue pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages.The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e.The following folios are foldouts: 11-13, 18, 19, 36, 46-48, 54, 85-89, 97, 105, 111, 112, 133, 134.
7. 'File 9/3 Bahrain Reforms. Land Registration & Record of Rights'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence and papers relating to the issue of land rights and ownership in Bahrain.The first part of the volume (folios 2-78) concern the organisation of a land survey in Bahrain. The Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfa, with the assistance of the Bahrain Political Agent (Major Clive Day), arranged with the Government of India’s Surveyor General ( E. A. Tandy) for a team of surveyors to come to Bahrain to survey the populated parts of the islands. A letter from Daly to the Surveyor General, dated 28 April 1925 (folios 28-30) provides details of the extent and character of the area to be surveyed. The survey was originally intended to take place during the winter of 1924/25, but was eventually delayed until the following year. A large portion of the correspondence relates to the costs of conducting the survey (including manpower, equipment, lodgings in Bahrain, food rations and passage from India), which were far greater than originally budgeted for by Sheikh Hamad. A revised proposal from the Surveyor General of India to Daly, dated 1 September 1925, gives details of the various costs of the survey (folios 54-56). Negotiations over the costs continued right up until the departure date of the surveying team from India to Bahrain, in October 1925. There is a copy of the deed (in Arabic) for the plot of land adjacent to the Agency at folio 80.The second part of the volume (folios 81-99) concerns the implementation of a waqfdepartment in Bahrain. The waqfis a form of religious endowment under Islamic law, usually involving the donation of buildings or land for religious or charitable purposes. The correspondence relates to Shaikh Ḥamad’s introduction of a waqfdepartment, to address the reported mismanagement and misappropriation of waqffunds.Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. There is an earlier foliation system using blue pencil numbers, that runs through a small part of the volume, from folios 2 to 4.The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 3a.The following folios are foldouts: 32, 38-40, 43, 44, 54, 57-59, 64, 70, 74, 75, 80, 88, 97-99.
8. 'File 9/5 Bahrain Reforms. Reforms in Pearling and Boat Registration'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence and reports relating to proposed reforms of the pearling industry in Bahrain. The majority of the correspondence takes place between the Bahrain Political Agent (Clive Day, who was the principle architect of the pearling industry reforms, and served from 1921 to 1926, superseded by Cyril Barrett), the Political Resident or his secretary, and the advisor to the Bahrain Government, Charles Belgrave.The reforms proposed, and which are discussed at length throughout the volume include:Economic reforms, with particular attention given to shares of the profits paid to divers, and the allowances paid to divers, and interest on their debts, through the Salifehcourt. This aspect of the reforms was designed to reduce the state of debt slavery that many divers existed in towards their boat masters ( nakhudas);The introduction of accounts books for all pearl divers;Boat registration and pearl fishing licenses;The introduction of a hospital boat intended to patrol the pearling banks, with medical staff on board who are capable of providing medical attention to pearl divers as required;The advantages and disadvantages of permitting pearl merchants to use motor launches to reach the pearling boats, the use of which would place some merchants at an advantage over those travelling under sail power.Items of note in the file include:A report entitled 'The Pearl Industry. Bahrain', written by Charles Belgrave, undated but probably 1928 (folios 3-23);Letters from the Director of the Bahrain Customs House to the Political Agency (1924), giving figures for the numbers of boats registered and pearling licenses issued, and the income generated (folios 51, 71, 84);A original petition in Arabic, signed by numerous nakhudas, complaining of the reforms, dated 26 September 1925 (folio 123, English translation on folios 124-26);A letter written by Barrett to Horner (the Secretary to the Political Resident), dated 1 January 1927, writing of disturbances in Manama, caused by a crowd of two-hundred pearl divers who are unhappy with reductions in their allowances (folios 149-52);Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. An earlier, incomplete foliation sequence, using blue pencil circled numbers in the top right corner of rectos, runs from folios 24 to 66. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 23a, 79a, 130a, 157a.The following folios are fold-outs: 37, 42, 46-50, 52, 53, 60, 62, 70-73, 75-79, 79a, 84-86, 90, 92, 94, 96, 106, 111, 121-26, 149-54, 157, 157a, 161, 171, 177, 179, 183, 184, 187, 193.Due to the binding of the volume, the text on some items runs very close to the gutter, making text more difficult to read.
9. 'File 9/8 Bahrain Levy Corps'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume relates to the institution of a Levy Corps in Bahrain, and more specifically to the recruitment, training, equipment (military, non-military) and costs of maintaining the force. The main correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly, or George Mallam as Acting Agent in Daly's absence), the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor until April 1924, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), and Captains A. Campbell and T. H. Geake, Commanding Officers of the Bahrain Levy Corps for the first and second years respectively.The institution of the Bahrain Levy Corps was set up with the assistance of the Political Agent in Muscat, and the previously established Muscat Levy Corps, the intention being that the Commandant of the Muscat Levies, Captain Alban, would supervise the new Bahrain Levies, and that the first recruits for the Bahrain Levies be recruited from Muscat. However, the process of recruitment was hampered by Alban becoming ill, and a shortage of suitable men being found. Daly noted, in a letter dated 25 October 1924 that “the enlistment of men was mismanaged - many undesirables were enlisted and many unfit.” (folios 111-112). The main area of concern was the recruitment to the Levies of Persian Makranis. An express letter from Daly to Prideaux, dated 29 May 1925, noted that the Bahrain Levy Corps comprised 46 British subjects, 23 Persian subjects, 39 Muscat subjects, and 1 Yemeni subject (folio 127). This letter followed shortly after an incident, on 25 May 1925, in which one of the Persian Levies at Bahrain murdered two of his colleagues (folio 134). Continuous efforts were made afterwards to reduce the number of Persians in the Bahrain Levies (folios 187, 191).An annual report for the Bahrain Levy Corps, written by Campbell at the end of his service (July 1925), gives detail on the challenges facing the institution of the Bahrain Levy Corps, its recruitment process, disciplinary record, as well as information on the Bahrain state prison (folios 153-68).Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. There is an earlier foliation system using blue pencil circled numbers in the top-right corner of rectos, which runs from folios 7 to 26. There are no foliation anomalies.The following folios are fold-outs: 33, 52, 54, 87-89, 91, 92, 116, 117, 120, 146, 148, 149, 163-66, 208, 209, 219.
10. 'File 9/9 Bahrain Reforms. Bahrain Water Supply'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, copies of contracts and other items related to the sinking of water wells in Bahrain, and the institution of a municipal water supply to the districts of Manama and Muharraq. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly until September 1926, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett thereafter), Major Frank Holmes, representative of the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, F. Madgwick, geologist, and Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, deputy ruler of Bahrain.After the forced abdication of Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah in 1923, public works projects in Bahrain, such as the sinking of artesian wells for the municipal water supply, were able to go ahead under the instigation of Shaikh Ḥamad (folios 28-30). The Eastern and General Syndicate Limited (London), represented by Major Frank Holmes, was awarded the contract to sink two wells in Manama and Muharraq to depths of 600 feet, in search of fresh water. The total expected cost of this first phase was 100,000 rupees (folio 5). A total of 300,000 rupees had been set aside by the Bahrain Government for the implementation of a water supply in Bahrain (folio 76). The Manama well struck good-quality water at 200 feet, and although Shaikh Ḥamad was keen to continue drilling to 600 feet, Holmes convinced the Shaikh against further drilling (folios 63-68). In the wake of the first two wells, water tanks capable of holding thirty tonnes of water were installed, and new contracts between Holmes and the Bahrain Government drawn up for the sinking of a further twelve wells, with the installation of the necessary pipework and tanks (folios 79-80, 82-83).A minor diplomatic incident was avoided when, in December 1924, the Baghdad Timesreported that Holmes was travelling to Bahrain with drilling equipment. The Secretary of State for the Colonies wrote to the Resident, reminding him to in turn remind Shaikh Ḥamad that the British Government recognised the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's exclusive right to negotiate concessions for the exploratory drilling of oil in Bahrain (folio 39). The Resident replied to the High Commissioner in Baghdad that Holmes was interested only in sinking wells for water (folio 42). A later disagreement in 1927 arose between Holmes and the Bahrain merchant Khalil Kanoo, over the sinking of water wells in Bahrain. Holmes, who had by this point signed a concession to drill for oil in the state, objected to Kanoo's proposals to sink his own water wells in Manama (folios 108-14).Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil notes in the top-right corner (but in some cases the top-centre) of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A-1F, 81A, 81B, 84A, 84B, 111A, 111B.The following folios are fold-outs: folios 2, 4, 5, 14, 15, 23, 28-30, 32-34, 36, 37, 49-54, 70, 76, 90, 94, 104, 116.
11. 'File 9/11 Grant of Passports and Permits by the Bahrain Government and Treaty with Persia relative to withdrawal of claim to'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence and other papers related to Persia's withdrawal of claims to sovereignty over Bahrain. The majority of the file's correspondence takes place between the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett until November 1929), and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Geoffrey Prior).The withdrawal of Persian claims over Bahrain raised a number of implications for British representatives in the Gulf, and these comprise the contents of the file. The main implications were: the treatment of Persian subjects in Bahrain; British representation of Persian subjects in Bahrain; the question of whether there should be an official or non-official Persian representative in Bahrain (which both the Resident and Political Agent were strongly objected to); and passports and certificates of identity for Bahrainis travelling within and beyond the Gulf.In response to a request from Barrett, Prior compiled detailed notes on the Persian communities in Bahrain. His official typewritten response (with handwritten notes) are included in the file (folios 43-47, 48-56). These notes include comments on Persian Sunnis and Shias in Bahrain, their relations with the Āl Khalīfah family, animosity between Nejdis [Saudis] and Persians, Persian schools and property in Bahrain, and the Political Agency's ability to represent Persians in Bahrain. Further notes on the Persian communities, sent to Prior by the Advisor to the Bahrain Government, Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave, are also included (folios 60-61A). A letter in English and Arabic, from Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah to Prior, dated 23 April 1930, is an undertaking not to attack Persian sovereignty or to violate Persian independence (folios 67-68).Physical description: Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 61a. There is no folio 1.There is minor insect damage throughout the file, which is not sufficient enough to impair the legibility of the file contents.
12. 'File 9/2 I Bahrain Reforms: Finances of the Bahrain Government'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence and papers relating to the finances of the Bahrain Government, and British officials' efforts to impose reforms on the Bahrain state finances.Many of the letters in the volume are discussions between the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly until September 1926, thereafter Colonel Cyril Barrett) and the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor until April 1924, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), about what needed to be done to regulate expenditure and generate income in Bahrain, with particular reference to the financial allowances given to members of the Al Khalifa family (for example folios 3-8, 27-29). The first monthly balance sheets, drawn up by Daly in December 1923, are enclosed (folios 32-38).A large portion of the file is made up of monthly accounts sheets (including Bahrain civil lists), sent by Eastern Bank Limited to the Political Agent (January 1924 accounts at folios 46-58, and subsequent months distributed throughout the volume). Correspondence from Claude de Grenier, Director of the Bahrain Customs House, enclosing customs house receipts and expenditure also figure prominently (for example, folios 80-81, 98-100). Notes on the annual Bahrain state budget for the Hijri years 1343 to 1346 (1924-1927), with balance sheets prepared by Daly (and later, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave) are also included in the file (folios 104-13, 187-90, 196-206, 231-46).The file also contains correspondence from Prideaux to the Secretary of the Political Department at the India Office in Whitehall, dated 15 September 1925, indicating that Prideaux has found a man (Belgrave) qualified to work as a financial advisor to the Government of Bahrain (folios 168-69, 172B-175).Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on the front cover and finishes on the back cover, using numbers written mainly in blue crayon (with additions, clarifications and corrections in pencil). The numbers are occasionally circled and are usually located in the top-right corner of the recto side of each folio, but can vary depending on the format of the folio.The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F; 157A and 157B. Foliation omissions: 61 and 179.The following folios are fold-outs: 1, 37-38, 45, 48-53, 55-56, 58, 62-63, 66-68, 71-83, 95-100, 107, 111, 113 and 125-129.The volume is tightly bound to the extent that the text on some items disappears into the gutter, making it difficult to read.
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